Daily Yellowstone journal., 1887-05-21
WITH A PANTHER.
THRILLING STORY TOLD BY A WIS
coNSlN PIONEER.

n Lad Makes the acp"hiht-
snee Of an overgrown. Good Natured
"Cat"-An Ominous Growling-A Pr
oneer In n Barn.
'When / was a lad Of 10" says Silas
Smith, an old pioneer of Wisconsin, my
father removed to this state from New
England and settled about three miles
from Madison. The place was a village
then, and a small one at that, and re-
member once seeing a deer running down
the main street with a dozen dogs after
him. The road from the village to our
clearing was little better than a path.
There were only two farmers having oxen
and wagons, and so there was little use
for roads. Just at the edge Of the woods
outside the village was a log barn belong
ing to a storekeeper named Roberts. That
was the last building we passed going
home, and the first one come TO as we en-
tered the village clearing. From that
stable to my fathers house, three miles,
there was only one break in the forest,
and that was on a ten acre clearing.
"After having passed over the route
several times with my father. ! was per-
mitted to travel IL alone whenever any
thing was wanted from town. After a
time I could have almost followed the
trail with my eyes shut, and ! had no fear
of the wolves and panthers l heard talked
about, because | was told that no wild
beast ever attacked people by daylight.
1t was one of the first days of October
that, as ! was about half way through the
woods on an errand 10 the village, and the
time being midforenoon, a panther sprang
<~At sIa leDnIa - larYa 1a..l ..n1z.
which i was passing, and alighted upon
the ground beside me. There was not
even a growl TO warn M Of his presence,
and he dropped down beside mt as softly
as a cat and as good natured as a rabbit.
I had never heard a panther described,
and, while | suspected this was one, / was
not sure. He jumped into the path ahead
of me and began TO zigzag back and forth
across il, purring all the time like a cat,
and seeming TO be highly pleased when
my legs rubbed against him.
A coon NATURED ''cAT."
81 was a bit frightened at first, but
after asfew minutes / made up my mind
that il was some animal which would not
hurt me, and then we had a romping
time. / would clap my hands and shout
Sick 'emH and the panther would go
skurrying here and there like a young
pup, sometimes rolling over and over on
the leaves, and again making such leaps
and bounds as excited my admiration.
When we came to a level piece Of ground
I ran a race with him, and when he got
into the patch ahead of me | seized the
tip of his tail and hung on and laughed
until the woods rams On two or three
occasions, as the panther was gamboling
about me, he made a clean spring right
over my head.
at was only when we reached the edge
of the village clearing that ] suspected the
identity Of my visitor. The neal presence
of other human beings seemed TO anger
him. and he snarled and growled and tore
at the ground with his claws. ! patted him
on the back and smoothed his fur. and he
began purring again and was restored to
good nature. He trotted alongside of me
about half way to the barn l have men,
toned, and then slipped away into
some fallen timber. | had been quite
badly frightened for some minutes, and
now seized this chance TO make off. Ny
movements We're hastened by an ominous
growing from the timber, and ! walked
of at a fast pace, and was within a few
steps when / heard a fierce scream and
turned my head and saw the great cat
bounding toward me. The door of the
barn was partly open, and without an in
stant's reflection / sprang inside and
closed IL. Before / could have counted
twenty the panther was at hand. Luckily
for me it was a strong, rough door, made
of slabs and well put together. The beast
made terrific efforts to get in. and his
sharp claws made the splinters fly as he
set them into the wood. There was no
inside fastening, and | had to brace with
all my might TO prevent his ingress. He
was now worked up into a fury, and I
believe every hair Of my head stood on
end as | fought 70 keep him out.
THROUGH II ROOF.
"When the panther found that he could
not get in by the door he sprang upon the
roof. heard him as he alighted on the
shocks, and, facing about, ! saw there
was a square hole in the roof. left for a
chimney never built. There was nothing to
prevent him leaping down, and this is just
what he intended doing, | saw his shadow
as be peered over the edge of the OPEN
ing, aud / was all ready as his 1.-the body
alighted on the floor. In W winks | was
outside aud had the door pulled 10, and
again he was fOiled. lie was MAD and no
mistake. and. although / was a young boy
and almost upset with fear, / had sense
enough left TO he on the watch for him.
The caves Of the building were so short
that, standing by the door, which had a
button outside and an old strap nailed TO
the inside to pull it shut, ! could see the
ridge pole.
SIN We or three minutes | heard the
CHATTER Of claws as the beast went up the
logs, and the moment half his body showed
through the opening | changed my posi-
ton to the inside. He came down the
roof, sputtering and growing, and again
made a fierce attack on the door. was
too much for him, and he again tried the
roof and the chimney hole. He came
down and ] went out, and he went up and
/ came in. He was at the door, snarling
in a way TO send shivers up and down my
back. when heard the report Of a rifle
and directly w men came running up.
The shot had been fatal, and the panther
was dead. The men were going 10 the
woods 10 hunt, and, although close at
hand, the panther had not noticed them.
There was at that time a bounty Of $50, I
think, on a panther's scalp, and, while the
men claimed this, they gave me the skin
TO reward my part in the adventure. ~
Chicago Times.